Keep up with news and features of interest to the reptile and amphibian community on the kingsnake.com blog. We cover breaking stories from the mainstream and scientific media, user-submitted photos and videos, and feature articles and photos by Jeff Barringer, Richard Bartlett, and other herpetologists and herpetoculturists.

Sunday, January 11 2015

Legendary Texas herpetologist and naturalist James R. (Jim) Dixon passed away yesterday, January 10, 2015, leaving a legacy in Texas herpetology and herpetoculture that will be hard to match.

Dr. Dixon never met a snake he didn't like. Professor Emeritus and Curator Emeritus of amphibians and reptiles at the Texas Cooperative Wildlife Collection at Texas A&M University, in his long, distinguished career Dr. Dixon described hundreds of new species of reptiles and amphibians worldwide, with a special emphasis on the herpetofauna of Texas, Mexico, Central America, and South America.

Born in 1928 in Houston, Dr. Dixon first obtained his bachelor of science from Howard Payne University in 1950 before serving in the Korean War. Working as Curator of Reptiles at the Ross Allen Reptile Institute before earning his masters degree (1957) and PhD in (1961) from Texas A&M University, he was an Associate Professor of Veterinary Medicine at Texas A&M from 1959 until 1961.

As an Associate Professor of Wildlife Management at New Mexico State University from 1961 until 1965, he served as a consultant to the New Mexico Game and Fisheries department until leaving for the University of Southern California, where from 1965 until 1967 he was Curator of Herpetology at the Los Angeles County Museum.

In 1971 he returned to his Texas roots, becoming a professor at Texas A&M University, where he taught Wildlife and Fisheries Science and became Curator of the Texas Cooperative Wildlife Collection. Dr. Dixon also served as president of several herpetological and naturalist societies including The Herpetologist League, Texas Herpetological Society, Texas Academy of Science, Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, Southwestern Association of Naturalists. He also served on the Board of Directors of the Texas Systems of Natural Laboratories and the faculty of Stephen F. Austin State University.

Author and co-author of numerous books, book chapters, and hundreds of peer reviewed notes and articles, Dr. Dixon was one of the most prominent herpetologists of the latter 20th century, and over the years numerous species have been named in his honor by some of his thousands of students and admirers.

Saturday, October 11 2014

Longtime reptile keeper and breeder and kingsnake.com member Rico Walder, known for his passion for green tree pythons, lost his long fight with brain cancer yesterday.

Rico always brought out the best in people, and watching the reptile world pull together, with dozens of fundraisers at reptile events coast to coast over a multi-year period, showed just how special he was to our community. His fight was our fight as well, and to lose him makes the reptile world seem a colder, emptier place for all.

Monday, June 16 2014

Back many years ago, when I had but one lone iguana, I, like many of us, began frequenting my local reptile friendly pet store. At the time for me, it was Pets N Things in Cudahy, Wisc. Every Friday I would find myself at the store at the same time as a local reptile guy named Carl. He saw that I actually wanted to learn more and introduced me to herp societies, books and, importantly to my future, kingsnake.com.

Carl was an avid field herper and educator in Wisconsin. He worked with the State of Wisconsin on a variety of field studiesm including most recently Butler's gartersnake population surveys. Carl spent as much time as he could field herping.

Over the years, Carl and I became friends. I still went to him for advice on captive care, called him when I knew an animal that hit my rescue might interest him, and invited him to help me at my many educational events. I relied on him as a friend and as a mentor. When I finally started field herping, I reached out to Carl to show me the way. He graciously opened his schedule to take me and a friend looking for timber rattlesnakes, even though the weather was all wrong. We were skunked that day reptile-wise, but we all became better friends.

Last year, when I wanted to actively start herping, I reached out to Carl. I asked for advice, locations, even more advice. Carl had a magic in the field. It is where his passion thrived and where he found great peace. For Carl, who suffered from anxiety and severe depression, that peace was greatly needed. Carl's widow would like everyone suffering to know that if you are suffering, please reach out to friends and family.

Carl leaves behind his wife Stacy and their two daughters. I will be honoring his memory and all he did for me over the years by ensuring that his reptile pets are taken care of. His friends have already lined up to help.

This weekend as you head out to herp, take a moment to think of a man who helped turn this deli cupper into a full fledged herper.

Tuesday, September 25 2012

The Southwestern California herp community has a big hole in it today. Jarron Lucas passed away quietly in his sleep, surrounded by friends, on his way back from the Hopi Mesa on Sunday, September 23.

To many Jarron was a mentor, but to me he was a friend. I remember meeting him last summer for the first time at the Chiricahua Lodge between the Biology of the Rattlesnake symposium and the International Herpetological Symposium. Returning late to the lodge with a group of herpers, he was overjoyed at the find of a wee baby Mojave Rattlesnake. "It isn't how much you find, but that you are out there looking." I had just gotten into field herping and that thought rang true.

Each time I posted photos this summer of even the most ugly bullfrogs, an email of encouragement would come through telling me all that mattered was that I was out there and I kept looking.

Thank you for the inspiration Jarron. I will keep looking.

Jarron Lucas, Mark O'Shea, and a friend check out the Mojave found at sunrise by Mark as I watched.

Saturday, January 21 2012

The reptile world is in mourning this week after losing two of it's own, people that changed the reptile world for everyone in a good way and whose loss leaves big holes in our communiuty.

Center for North American Herpetology Co-founder and Director Joseph T. Collins suffered a heart attack and died on 14 January 2012 in Florida. Joe Collins was the driving force behind the Center for North American Herpetology. The CNAH brings a variety of herp news, some of it shared here on this page, and provided a data bank for researchers and professionals across the country a central networking data base. His list of books that he authored is immense and I would venture to say most herpers own at least one. His passion for the field was obvious and it was in the field herping that he left this community.

But for others who knew him more intimately, Joe was a major inspiration. Mike Rochford, a wildlife research assistant for the University of Florida, knew Joe, and his life's path was forever changed because of that. From Mike:

He was just an all-around great guy. He could always make you smile, laugh, or get excited about the future. He was the brains behind the Kansas Herpetological Society, the number one state herp society in the nation. And he had the ability to excite a passion among people in that state that will never be rivaled. In fact, KHS field trips brought in many people from other states as the reputation for a good time and great herping became more and more well-known. The state of Kansas really lost a champion for wildlife. Joe was "The Crocodile Hunter" before that ever became cool. And by that I mean he inspired a lot of people with his enthusiasm.

Andy Price, former state herpetologist for Texas Parks and Wildlife died January 16th, 2012, at Christopher House in Austin, TX, after a long fight against Multiple Myeloma. He was an avid field herpetologist and worked for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department from 1986 to 2008. From 2009-2010, Andy worked with the Texas Natural Science Center and taught at Southwestern University. Andy was passionate about fieldwork and was granted awards for his lifetime efforts in conservation of Texas reptiles and amphibians by the Southwestern Association of Naturalists and Texas Herpetological Society. He was given the Southwest Book Award for Literary Excellence for his book, Amphibians and Reptiles of New Mexico. He was Editor- in-Chief for the Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles from 1994 to his death.

I was long time friends with Andy, we sat on many committees, panels, and discussions groups together and I and all the other Texas herpers that had a close bond with him will miss him greatly. And Andy was a friend to kingsnake.com, participating in the site in many ways. Andy was a kingsnake.com chat week guest way back in 2002. You can read the transcript here. I will miss Andy deeply. His sense of humor got me through some bad times and long meetings.

Both Joe and Andy will be missed greatly by our community and their loss will be felt by all in many ways. Donations in Andy's name should be sent to support the “Field Research” section of the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, Grants in Herpetology program: Dr. Kirsten Nicholson, SSAR Treasurer, Museum of Cultural and Natural History, 103 Rowe Hall, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, Michigan 48859.

Friday, June 17 2011

Reports on the internet surfaced late yesterday that legendary reptile keeper and inspiration to reptile hobbyists world wide, Bill Haast, founder of the Miami Serpentarium, has passed away. We are still trying to confirm this information as it has yet to appear in the main stream press and will keep you updated as more information becomes available.

If any man deserved the sobriquet "legendary" in this community, Bill Haast led the way. I only met Bill in the later years of his life but knew of and read of his exploits in the field and in the lab for many years prior and many of his proteges at times took me under their wing, feeding me stories of their time growing up at or around the Serpentarium in the 60s and 70s.

I am far from right the person to be writing Bill's obituary so I have asked several of his friends and disciples to step up in my place and their remembrances will be posted later today and tomorrow. I am sure many of our readers have interacted with Bill over the years and I invite them to share their memories here.